Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Council-president battle takes shape

Newly elected Springs City Councilman Keith King wants to be king of the Council. And he wants at-large Councilor Merv Bennett to be his vice king, King says in an interview today.

King: Top dog?

King says he's looking to Bennett as his sidekick because he is more closely aligned in philosophy with Bennett than with the other two at-large Council members.

King's plan — himself as Council president and Bennett as president pro tem — would shut out Jan Martin, the only member of the new Council with more than two years of experience. Martin is in the middle of her second four-year term. Bennett was elected two years ago, as was the other at-large, Councilor Val Snider.

Martin: Tops with voters.

Moreover, Martin was the top vote-getter in her 2007 election, as well as the 2011 election.

Nevertheless, King, who has no experience on City Council but 12 years in the Legislature, says he's already drawn up a model he wants Council to follow. He would create subcommittees of Council that would be entrusted to research certain topics and then report back to the full Council. He says that model has worked for years in the Colorado General Assembly and the Denver City Council.